Dear Mum and Dad
by ladyoftheknightley
Summary: Between befriending Scorpius Malfoy, getting Sorted and avoiding her ten million cousins, Rose Weasley has a rather busy first twenty-four hours at Hogwarts. She chooses to paint a slightly different picture when writing home to her parents, though... xFor the 2012 Hogwarts Gamesx


**A/N:** Written for the 2012 Hogwarts Olympic Games at HPFC. This entry is for the Cycling (Road), where we had to write a next-gen fic of no more than 2000 words!

**Disclaimer:** Naturally, everything belongs to the magnificent JK Rowling.

* * *

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_Well, I made it to Hogwarts! The past 24 hours have been as eventful as anything. On the train we met Roxanne who told us about Teddy and Victoire getting together! But it's hardly surprising – everyone knows __that's__ been going to happen for ages._

* * *

"Will you two be alright here on your own?" Roxanne asked.

Albus and Rose exchanged slightly nervous glances. "Yeah, we'll be fine!" Albus replied, and Rose nodded. They would...wouldn't they?

"Well, I'll be in the next compartment if you need anything," she said kindly. "I'm just off to find Molly and the others now. Have a nice trip, and don't do anything the terrible trio would!" She winked at them, and Rose and Albus said goodbye to her. They had just sat down when she stuck her head into their compartment again. "Oh, I forgot to tell you! Victoire and Teddy are together! He was just—"

"On the train, kissing her goodbye," Albus finished. "James saw them and came to tell us. He went and asked what they were doing but Teddy told him to go away."

"_That boy_," Roxanne said, shaking her head in amusement.

"Wait, Victoire and Teddy?" Rose asked. "Are they going out now?"

"It appears so," her cousin replied. "Honestly, Rose, you must have known it was going to happen at some point! It's _Victoire and Teddy_."

"I think there was a bet on it," said Albus.

"Of course there was a bet on it!" said Roxanne. "It's _our_ family."

* * *

_We'd only been alone for five minutes when a boy came in and asked to sit with us. His name is Robert Hannington and he's quite nice, but he seemed really scared. It turned out he was a muggle-born and he didn't really know anything about magic, so Al and I filled him in. It was quite good that he had us because we (especially me) know lots about muggle things._

* * *

"Does everyone have owls?" Robert asked, noticing the two cages in the compartment.

"Quite a few people do, but not everyone," Albus said.

"If you want to send a letter to your parents, you can use one of the school ones," added Rose. "They all live up in the owlery."

"Oh, that's alright," Robert said. "I won't need to write to my parents because I have one of these." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small mobile phone.

"Oh, a fellytone!" Rose cried. Albus let out a laugh, and Robert looked confused.

"A what?"

"She means telephone," Albus said. "That's a bit of an Uncle Ronism."

"Yes, well, telephone, fellytone, whatever, it won't work up at Hogwarts," Rose said quickly, to cover her embarrassment. "There's too much interference from all the magic going on. Most muggle things don't work up there, like legtops, for instance."

"Laptops," Albus mouthed, behind her back.

* * *

_Robert was worried that he'd be really behind in lessons because he hasn't grown up around magic, but we told him not to worry and Al pulled his wand out to show him that all he could do with it was make a few sparks. Unfortunately, the door to our compartment opened when he was doing this and a girl came in who told him he shouldn't be doing magic. Well, you can imagine how well __that__ went down._

_Her name is Eleanor Macmillan (she says you went to school with her parents, Ernie and Susan?) and she seems nice, if a bit pompous. I liked her because she already had her robes on like me. Al doesn't like her and says she's like Uncle Percy (which is mean because Uncle Percy's not __that__ pompous) but I think he just doesn't like being told what to do by a girl. Which is silly because he's grown up with me and Lily and all the others..._

_Anyway we all had lunch and gave Robert our Chocolate Frog cards (he now has Dumbledore—he thought it was really funny that he and Al have the same name—Uncle Harry, you two and Professor Longbottom). He was amazed that his first card was an actual teacher! I told him Neville's really nice though._

_Just after we'd done that, James, Fred and Louis came in to our compartment with Scorpius Malfoy. They said some boys were picking on him because of his Dad and so they hexed the boys and brought him to us so he'd have some friends his own age to look out for him. I know you said not to get too friendly with him, Daddy, but it's alright, we barely spoke to each other._

* * *

"Here, look, have that seat next to Rose," Louis said, pointing to chair. Rose picked up her book in order for him to sit down, and he slid into the empty seat.

"Thanks for...er...doing what you did," Scorpius said, but the three boys waved it off.

"It was nothing," Fred said.

"Any excuse for a good hexing!" added James. "Anyway, we've got some fireworks that need setting off..."

"So we'll see you around," Louis finished. "Cheerio!" The three boys vanished, and the five first years were left in the compartment alone. Rose went to put her book back in her trunk, but stopped at Scorpius' sharp intake of breath.

"You're reading _Hogwarts: A History_?" he asked, sounding excited.

"Yes," she responded. "Well, re-reading technically..."

"I've never met anyone who's read it before!" Scorpius said delightedly. "How many times have you read it?"

"Three times cover to cover, and more than I can count just dipping into chapters here and there," Rose said, a smile forming on her face. "How many times have you read it?"

"Just the once straight through, but I've read some passages so many times I've pretty much got them memorised," he replied. "Chapter thirty-two is my favourite, I think."

"On the history of the secret passageways?" Rose said, genuinely delighted to have someone to talk to about her favourite book who wasn't her mother. "Yeah, that is a good one. I think my favourites are three to six, you know, on the founders?"

"Oh, those are very interesting," he agreed. "I can't believe this; I've never met anyone who's read the book before!"

"They're missing out," said Rose seriously, and Scorpius nodded. "Do you remember the bit in chapter fifteen, about the kitchens and how they work?"

"Yes!" Scorpius replied. "Don't you think..."

Eleanor and Robert looked with bewilderment at Albus, who just shrugged. "That's just Rose," he said. "She's always like this with books. I'd imagine it's only going to get worse now that she's got someone to discuss them with in detail..." Robert laughed, and even Eleanor smiled, but Rose and Scorpius didn't hear the conversation, as they were too busy discussing the intricacies of chapter twenty-nine.

* * *

_When we got to Hogsmeade Station, Al and I got separated, and I ended up with Ellie and Robert. There were loads and loads of people around! Somehow Victoire managed to find me – she'd found another first year who she said needed looking after. Clearly, my cousins think I'm good at looking after people! Her name was Amy._

* * *

"Hey, Rose! Rosie!" She looked around at the sound of her name being called and caught sight of a slightly harassed looking Victoire, who was hurrying towards her with a small girl following in her wake. "Thank Merlin I've found you, I need to get the other years sorted and in coaches, and I've misplaced three of the Prefects...as for Henry Adams, _how_ he made Head Boy I'll never...oh, right, yes," she collected herself. "This is Amy. Amy, Rose." Amy waved cheerily at her, but Rose could only manage a rather stiff nod in return. Her voice did not seem to have left the train with her...

"If you two stick together, and see if you can't find a few other first years too...Hagrid's around here somewhere. Where did Al—oh, hello. Can I help?" Another pupil had tapped Victoire on the shoulder, and the Head Girl dashed off, leaving Rose alone with Amy, who introduced herself properly and began babbling away enthusiastically about Hogwarts. Somehow, this made Rose's nerves worse – _why_ wasn't she as brave as this girl? She'd never get into Gryffindor if she carried on like this!

She followed Eleanor and Robert round a corner, and saw Hagrid. The thumbs-up he gave her helped to soothe the knot in her stomach, even though her legs still felt as though she'd been hit by a Jelly-Legs Jinx.

* * *

_The Sorting was terrifying, but it went okay in the end. Amy ended up in Hufflepuff and Robert got made a Gryffindor. Then Eleanor got made a Gryffindor too, which was a bit surprising given her parents were both Hufflepuffs, but then even more surprisingly, __Scorpius__ was made a Gryffindor! No one was more surprised than him. But apparently Al told him about Sirius who was his second-cousin or something and a Gryffindor, and now Scorp is going to write and tell his Dad about him, so his Dad won't get mad about him not being in Slytherin. The Hat took a while to make Al a Lion, but it made me one straight away!_

* * *

The Sorting Hat had barely grazed the top of Albus' head before he was made a Gryffindor, and his brother lead the applause, the morning's squabbling clearly forgotten. This made Rose feel worse – she would surely take longer than Albus, and she might not even get into Gryffindor! Worse than that, what if she took so long the Hat was simply removed from her head and she was sent home? She tried not to think like this, instead concentrating as hard as she could on thinking brave and courageous thoughts.

A few more people were Sorted, then that Hat was placed on her head. "Another Weasley, then?"

She thought she detected a note of weariness in the Hat's tone. "There aren't that many of us!"

"Oh, there are," the Hat said. "But this is about you, not them. And you are very interesting, Miss Weasley!"

"Thank you?" she thought, uncertainly. She wondered how long this examination would take place before she would be allowed to take her place at the Gryffindor table.

"Another one who wants to be a Gryffindor? Well, you would do well there. But you're clever enough to do well in Ravenclaw, too..."

"You don't have to be a Ravenclaw to be clever!" Rose said. "My Mum wasn't, and she's the cleverest person I know!"

"You know, Miss Weasley, there are not many pupils who ever try to argue with me. Many beg, or plead, or even simply ask to be in a certain House, but very few have the courage to debate with me. For this reason, I think you're a true—GRYFFINDOR!"

* * *

_I think Molly's a bit disappointed to be the only Weasley in Ravenclaw, but there's still two of us to be sorted so she shouldn't worry!_

* * *

"Yeah, Dominique—the one taking us up to the Tower—is my cousin," Rose explained to Eleanor. "And those two Hufflepuffs waving—they're Victoire and Lucy. And—oh, hi Molly!"

"Rose, well done on getting into Gryffindor!" Molly cried, hugging her. "Your parents are going to be so proud!"

"Thank you," Rose beamed. "This is Ellie," she added, nodding to the girl beside her, who said hello.

"Hi Ellie! Congrats to you, too," smiled Molly. "I'm just off to congratulate Al, as well – I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow!" She waved and hurried off, and Eleanor turned to Rose, astonished.

"Just how many cousins do you have here?"

* * *

_So yes, it's been crazy, but I'm completely loving it! Gryffindor common room is even better than everyone said, and I'm so excited to start lessons. Write back quickly so I can tell you all about them! And say hi to Hugo for me!_

_Lots of love,_

_Rose_

* * *

**A/N:** For those who are confused, the italics are Rose's letter to her parents and the rest is what actually happened. I'm not trying to paint her as a liar or anything – more an embellisher of the facts ;)

Please review.


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